While most LinkedIn users are aware they can add a photo to the top of their profile, and eventually get around to doing so, far fewer people seem to realize that the wallpaper image (the background banner) behind the photo is also fully customizable. Sure, one could argue that this aspect of a profile isn't all that important in the big scheme of things. But there's also no denying that visuals do count to some [...]
Ah, LinkedIn. For all of the amazing networking and research capabilities the site offers, there have always been an equal amount of frustrations involved in using the site — and numerous changes have been made to the platform that are downright head-scratchers. As an example of this, many users may have noticed that LinkedIn recently decided to adopt an AI-only search approach that replaces the conventional job search filters that worked like a champ for [...]
Having been one of the earliest adopters of LinkedIn back in 2004 when it first came out, it's been fascinating to watch the never-ending array of changes the site has made over the past 20 years -- some of which have been brilliant, some perplexing, and others just plain, well, weird. Along these lines, I've been tracking a number of minor-to-major LinkedIn changes in recent months that I thought might be good to bundle up [...]
While LinkedIn has now been around for over 20 years, and more than a billion professionals have joined it, I still find that the vast majority of people aren't truly grasping the importance of the tool in the modern job market -- and how much of a role it can play in improving one's odds of ongoing career success. Love it or hate it, LinkedIn has established a near-monopoly on the online networking game and [...]
I'll confess up front, I'm writing this post somewhat against my better judgment. In the spirit of trying to share information about "all things LinkedIn" via my blog, however, I figured I should at least mention a nifty little tool that many people haven't discovered -- and that allows LinkedIn users to jazz up their profiles with some innovative text formatting options in the hopes of standing out from the crowd. Just to share a [...]
Given the massive role that LinkedIn plays in the modern job search process, I've tried to use this blog over the years to keep folks updated on the "latest and greatest" changes to the site -- and emerging ways that it can be used to improve one's employment prospects. Normally, this involves just sharing a single new tip at a time. But over these past few months, LinkedIn has made a TON of changes to [...]
It was almost 10 years ago that I wrote my last article focused on the subject of whether LinkedIn Premium subcriptions are worth the investment, or not, for the average job hunter -- so I figure it's high time to revisit this question, again, given how often it comes up! Surprisingly, in reading back through that earlier article, very little has changed in terms of this topic and virtually all of my earlier recommendations still [...]
When historians look back on this year, in decades hence, I suspect it will come to be viewed as the "dawn of AI" and the first time in history when the average person was exposed to the true potential of artificial intelligence -- and how it could help them, specifically, in their day-to-day pursuits. In light of this development, I've been experimenting heavily as of late with AI sites like ChatGPT and how they can [...]
While casual users of LinkedIn might not notice the adjustment, at some point over the past 1-2 weeks LinkedIn appears to have made a change to their platform that I've actually been expecting to see made for the past 10+ years or so. At long last, they seem to have revised the built-in "industry list" used to drive company and people searches on the site with a much more modern, nuanced set of choices to [...]
So what should you be when you grow up? Or perhaps, more accurately, now that you HAVE grown up? No question about it, this is the hardest question I encounter in my coaching practice, since it's a question that entails far more "gray area" than things like building resumes, teaching interviewing tips, or showing somebody how to network more effectively. When it comes to career direction, one has to take into consideration a vast array [...]